One Piece - Stowaway
by Annabelle-Kirkland
Summary: After mishearing some advice from Makino, Luffy decides to sneak onto Shanks boat the "Red Force" so he will have no choice but to accept him into his crew. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned. Rated K for spanking and light profanity.
1. Chapter 1

((I was wondering if I wanted to put this in "The Terror of Luffy" series but it was long enough where I decided to put it as it's own. After the little piece in the first chapter, I wanted to write about it really bad so here y'all go! This chapter won't have the corporal punishment though so you don't have to worry so much.))

Luffy yawned as he rested his chin on the bar counter. "Makino... when will I be old enough to be a pirate?" he asked, tapping his fingernails against the glass mug to keep him aware. After five surprise attacks that had been so expertly planned and absolutely awesome, Shanks still refused to let the young boy come along on the pirate ship. It wasn't fair! He could fend for himself like any old pirate except even better! Just cause he was a bit littler than the rest didn't mean he shouldn't be given a chance! It was all so stupid, including Shanks.

The bartender chuckled, ruffling his hair with a warm smile. "Oh Luffy, I'm sure you'll be traveling on the seas in no time." He loved Makino, a worker at Partys Bar. She was always giving him a meal to fill his belly and a glass of milk to help him cool down after a long day of treasure hunting. Her reassuring smile, bright brown eyes, and cheerful personality was comforting for the child. As far as the village was concerned, she was the only one who believed that he could become a pirate as great as Red-Haired Shanks. Even though it was only one person, that was enough to keep the boy motivated.

"But when?" he whined, shoving the cup away in frustrating. "I'm almost at the peak of my golden years! If I don't start now then I'll never get to sail!" She laughed at that, taking the drink away and setting it in the sink before getting out a fresh loaf of bread.

"Oh really? Then am I too old now to do anything interesting?" she retorted teasingly, slicing him a good sized piece, "Here, why don't you eat this. It'll help you think better, trust me." Though the boy pouted a bit, he took the food with bright eyes shining with hunger. "If you want to go on a trip so bad with real pirates, maybe you just have to figure out a solution that won't get you in a load of trouble."

That really was good advice, but all Luffy heard with his obsessive one tracked mind was, "figure out a solution no matter the trouble" which automatically sent him on a very dark path. _"If I sneak onto the Red Force..."_ he thought to himself as he bit into the warm crust, _"That should be enough to show Shanks that I can handle myself just fine! He'll have no choice but to accept me!"_ For a nine-year-old boy, this just sounded like a foolproof plan of pure genius. He barely kept himself from grinning from ear to ear as he sat up straight. "Thanks, Makino! I think I know what to do!"

She raised an eyebrow, washing her hands. "Really? Already?" she chuckled, patting the top of his head, "Well don't let me stop you. I'm sure you've come up with a wonderful idea." Unfortunately, she thought he had thought about showing the pirate captain the skills he had in a safe and organized manner. It was in the spur of the moment that she had forgotten just how much of a troublemaker the boy was. "Have fun."

He grinned and hopped off of the barstool, stuffing the slice of bread into his mouth. "Thwank oo Makwino!" he tried to speak, his cheeks full of food that made it come out as a muffled jumble of words. Either way, she seemed to understand perfectly clear.

"You're welcome Luffy."

~Le Time Skip~

The small lad was checking his list of what to bring closely, biting his lip as he scanned the crudely written words.

Canteen of water

Bag to carry treasure

Berries

Bread

Knife

Other piratey stuff.

"I wish I could bring milk..." he mumbled, pouting a bit as he set the makeshift bottle of water into his backpack. Next, he put in a good sized burlap sack, who knew how much treasure he would end up finding! The berries were a bit easier since they were already in a sturdy bag that shouldn't rip if he trips or falls. Bread, however, that was going to take some thinking to figure out how to pack it.

Grunting, he hefted a small box out of his chest. It wasn't very pretty, but it would be sturdy enough to keep his food safe for the entire voyage. So he threw his water and berries on top of the bread before forcing it closed. "Stupid lid..." he grumbled, leaning his entire weight on the wood until he heard the automatic lock snap it shut. Yeesh, he had barely gotten started and already he was starting to get tired. Who knew packing for a pirate expedition would be so difficult? Not to mention be so much WORK! Shanks and his crew made it look so easy that it wasn't fair.

"Who cares!" he grinned as he closed his bag, "I'm gonna sail for the first time! And no one will be able to stop me until it's too late~!" He slid his lucky pocket knife, a present from his grandfather, into his pocket and stood proudly in front of his mirror. If it wasn't for the goofy hair he was born with, he would have looked really badass. Kaki shorts, his anchor t-shirt, and a cloak so he could sneak onto the ship without being noticed. Add the backpack...

Yup, he looked like a real pirate.

All that was left for the boy to do was find a way to sneak onto the Red Force before the Red-Hair Pirates set sail. It sounded simple enough in his head, but it didn't take him long to realize just how much trouble he might have put himself in.

~Le Time Skip (Again)~

It was the dead of night, a few hours before the sun would rise and wake the citizens of Foosha Village. The sky was a dark blue, almost no stars seemed brave enough to shine their light. And in the cover of black, a small young lad with a big goal raced through the streets.

Or, at least that's what Luffy told himself.

He shivered, the cold air nipping at his nose. You would think that the inside of a barrel would be a bit warmer than outside. But he couldn't complain, this was a part of the stack of supplies that would be carried onto the ship tomorrow morning. It would have been fine to sit there, he had brought a small pillow along with him, if it wasn't for the fact that the barrel was halfway full of tangerines. They were all so bumpy and wet from the rainstorm that had happened late last evening. Why did he forget to bring a jacket?

Well, there was no way out now. He wasn't tall enough to climb out of the barrel without making it fall over and cause a loud crash. Maybe he should've thought about that before he decided to climb in one of the containers that were on the bottom of the pyramid. Lesson DEFINITELY learned. Another mistake the pirate wannabe made was forgetting what to bring to entertain himself as he waited for dawn, there was almost nothing he could do!

Making himself a little bed with his pillow, he pulled out his knife and grabbed one of the tangerines. "We're going to be in here for a while..." he whispered, carving into the peel carefully, "So me and you are going to be best friends." As he finished drawing the smile, he giggled. The face was a little sloppy, one eye was a circle and the other was a rectangle, but other than that it didn't look too bad for his first try. If he wanted to redo it, there were plenty of extra canvases.

And as the night went on, Luffy cut tangerines until he fell asleep, knife in his lap as soft snores echoed around in the wooden barrel.

~Le Time Skip (Again, Again)~

"He usually comes to say goodbye," the red-haired captain chuckled, hand shielding the sun from his eyes as he scanned the village, "What's keeping him this time?" Shanks wasn't too worried, he most likely was with Makino or doing chores for the mayor. With that kid, it could be anything. "Have any of you seen the Anchor yet?" he yelled at his crew, folding his arms across his chest as he glanced up at the boarding plank.

Benn Beckman shook his head and plopped down a load of ammunition, grunting a bit from the weight. "Not yet, but he should be here soon. The kid would never miss the chance to see this beauty set sail even if he was on his deathbed." Some of the other mates chuckled, all of them pretty good friends with Luffy and enjoyed his company. "What? You worried your biggest fan won't be here to boost your ego before the trip?"

Letting out a laugh, Shanks straightened his hat and grinned. "Nah, that's what I have you guys for." But the joke about the deathbed did cause him to feel a bit uneasy, the boy was always getting himself into some sort of trouble. If the mayor had made him run some errands, he would've come anyway. He was always the first one there just so he could beg to be let on the voyage no matter what anyone else tried to tell him. That was just his hardheaded nature, similar to the captain's as well.

Maybe that was the reason he was so unnerved by his disappearance.

"Makino!" he yelled when seeing the bartender rolling a barrel of grog onto the boat, "Have you seen Anchor today? He isn't here yet and we're about to set sail!" Frowning a bit, Makino hefted the heavy container upright before she tossed her dark green hair over her shoulder.

"Now that you mention it... I haven't seen him since yesterday morning." She leaned against the mast, biting her lip as she searched her memory. "Odd, he was also ecstatic about some new plan to get you to let him join the Red-Hair Pirates. If I know him, he wouldn't miss the chance to test it out." She turned to look at Shanks, face pale and full of fear. "Oh God, you don't think he's done something reckless, right? W-what if he went out of the village a-and got himself hurt?!" Her hands began to shake violently, her eyes widening. "WHERE IS HE?!"

The pirate rested a hand on her shoulder as her breath got quick and heavy, smiling down at her. "It's okay, he probably just slept in or something," he reassured her, smoothing down her hair, "Don't get freaked out over noth-"

"CAPTAIN SHANKS!"

He whipped around, jumping a bit as the mayor came scurrying up the gangplank. The old man was breathing hard, obviously tired from running all the way here. "What's wrong sir? My men didn't do anything to upset you, did they?" he asked, knowing that when being on land too much some of is crewmates got a bit testy.

Wood Slap shook his head vigorously, clasping his knees as he panted. "N-no... it's Luffy..!" he wheezed, looking ready to collapse, "I-I went to his house to check i-if he was up yet... Shanks..." He looked up, eyes wide in fear. "He's gone!"

"What do you mean, 'gone'?" the captain asked, holding Makino tight as she trembled, "This is a small village with not many hiding spots and he has tiny legs, he couldn't have gone far." It was getting harder to keep a smile on his face, inside he was screaming. If he hadn't kept control of himself, he most likely would've ripped apart the village until he found the boy. "Did anyone see him yesterday besides Makino?"

A few villagers mumbled amongst themselves, already outside to send off the ship. "I saw him yesterday evening!" a plump woman yelled, raising her arm, "He bought two loaves of bread from me and I gave him a burlap sack he was interested in!"

"He was walking around with a backpack when I had to go to the bathroom last night! I was so tired I didn't find it weird he was all by himself roaming the streets after midnight!" Slowly, all of the different answers grew into a jumbled mess. Everyone was clearly starting to panic and blame one another for losing a child.

"QUIET!" Everyone snapped their mouths shut, looking up at the now frowning pirate. "Now," Shanks started, "We have to leave, it's unavoidable. But to find Luffy, you all are going to have to get your act together! Store owners are going to stay right here in the town in case he comes back. Anyone else who is willing to help, search in pairs of two or more as long as it's not over six. The more groups, the more ground you'll cover. I recommend that at least one person in each section should have a weapon in case things get messy. With that boy, you never know what he could have gotten himself into." He scanned the crowd, checking their reaction to the orders closely. "My men and I will keep a keen eye out for him in case he managed to make his way to the next town over! The minute any of us find him, send a message to other groups by carrier birds. Am I clear?"

After they had a few seconds to process everything, a collective "YEAH!" echoed throughout the dock. With a small smile, he helped Makino down the gangplank. "Someone get her something to eat and drink before she faints." _Luffy,_ he thought to himself as they finally set sail, _You better have a damn good reason for disappearing like that._

~Le Time Skip (Once More)~

Luffy eyelids slowly fluttered open, the pleasant smell of tangerines gently waking him up. "Mmm~" he sighed, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to his unusually dark surroundings. That was strange, by now it should've been daytime. But as his irises came to focus, they landed on a horrendous sight. An orange face, mutated and disgusting. Jagged fangs, glowing white eyes and an evil grin that was similar to a shark's.

"AAAAAHHH!" he shrieked, trying to scramble backward in an attempt to escape, "MONSTER!" But his back hit a wooden surface hard as he realized his entire environment was slowly tilting- CRASH! He screeched and screamed as he rolled around, tangerines being the only thing he could see at the moment. It was probably the scariest thing he had ever experienced which seemed to last for hours when it was only a few seconds. Finally, everything came to a stop and light flooded into the small barrel.

Blinking at the sudden brightness, he shimmied out of what he now realized to be the same container he had hopped into last night. And as he scanned the people who were now hovering around him, his face paled. "Uh, captain!" a tall man with a black ponytailed called, "I think we've caught ourselves a stowaway."

Heavy footsteps hit the wood, causing the drowsy Luffy to jump a bit and crane his neck back to see who it was. Even looking at him upside down and in his tired state, the boy could recognize that red hair and famous three scars anywhere.

"H-heh heh..." he chuckled awkwardly, managing a weak smile, "Ahoy Cap'n."

To Be Continued...

Maybe...


	2. Chapter 2

Shanks had thought about the possibility of this happening, but he had hoped that the kid would have never had the guts to even try. Especially now with all of the uproar the village was in, it took a lot of strength to keep his temper in check. "What the hell..." he growled, eyes glinting dangerously, "Are you doing here Luffy?"

The boy swallowed hard, trying to shrink back into the barrel. He didn't know what had made the captain so mad, but he really didn't want to find out. Did he blow his cover too soon? Maybe he just startled him a bit... Yeah! It was all just one big misunderstanding, that's all. Once he told the redhead why he had snuck on board then Shanks would see how brave he was and make him a pirate!

Well, it was worth a shot anyway.

"I-it's a really funny story," he started, slowly pulling the lid closer, "But you guys look real busy so heh... I shouldn't b-bother you..." He was about to shut himself back in when the container was suddenly picked up and turned completely upside down. "AHH!" he shrieked as he fell onto the deck hard, his back making a solid thud as it came in contact with the wood. "What was that for?!" he yelled, rubbing his head as he glared up at whoever had done it.

Tossing aside the barrel, Shanks yanked Luffy up by his arm. "Come on Anchor," he ordered, dragging him behind him as he headed towards his cabin. "Benn! Send a message to Foosha Village that we found the little runaway! You're in charge until I come back out." It had been a long time since the crew had heard him sound so serious and angry, especially when they weren't even in battle. But no one wanted to say anything to set him off the edge, they knew what would happen then.

"Aye aye Cap'n," Beckman mumbled, "Get back to work everyone! Somebody clean this mess up before we have to deal with splinters and rottin' tangerines!" Luffy almost tripped over his own feet, too shocked to really try to get away. What? Why the cabin? Couldn't he stay outside with everyone else? Unless...

His face paled and he tried to yank his arm away. "W-wait! C'mon Shanks, let me explain first! I-I just fell asleep in there, that's all!" All the redhead did was glower down at him with a look that clearly said, "shut the hell up and move your feet." His head dropped, tears pricking at his eyes as he kept his gaze on the wooden floorboards. _Shit!_ he thought, biting his tongue for now. Why did he have to mess up?! If he had just kept quiet for a bit longer then maybe the captain wouldn't be as mad... He felt like kicking himself in the face for being so stupid.

With the clinking of keys, Shanks unlocked the door with a quick flick of his wrist and pushed the boy inside. "Sit down." His voice had gotten a bit softer, but he still had a scary look on his face that made Luffy squirm. Pulling over a chair of his own, the captain plopped down and crossed his arms as he scanned the boy in front of him. "Now, I'm going to ask you one question and I expect an honest answer. Lying ain't gonna do nothin' except make the situation worse. No smart mouth comments, no excuses." After a meek nod from the kid, he shook his own head. "I want to hear words Anchor, now answer me verbally, do you understand?"

"Y-yes sir..." he mumbled, fiddling with his fingers as his feet swung back and forth. "I'm really-" Shanks cut him off with his hand, causing Luffy to flinch slightly.

"Another thing, only answer the question I ask. Nothing else. Now..." He sat forward a bit, his eyes piercing holes into the child's skull. "When did you get in that barrel?"

He squirmed a bit, but the black-haired boy managed to answer, "Last night."

"What in the world gave you the idea to sneak on board?" Now it was a real struggle to keep his voice level, his hand twitching just from the effort alone.

"M-Makino said I should find a way to convince you to let me be a pirate..." He wrung his hands, not wanting to look up at the redhead and reveal his guilty expression. Maybe this wasn't the greatest idea after all, too bad he didn't realize that yesterday instead of now. "I thought maybe if you saw how brave I was and prepared... you would see I'm not just some little kid and let me join your crew." Yup, now that he said it all out loud he realized just how stupid it all sounded.

Obviously, Shanks found it to sound ridiculous as well. "Do you realize what you've done?!" His voice rose, going into full scolding mode. "The entire village was freaking out, willing to risk their lives to find you! Makino just about passed out because she was sure it was her fault and not to mention you could have gotten hurt! What if the barrel you had chosen wasn't going on the ship you thought, hmm? Did you think of that? And don't even get me started on that pocket knife you had left OPEN! One wrong move while you slept and it could have cut your stomach like butter."

This was just getting worse, Luffy was ready to throw himself over the side of the boat just so he could get out of the lecturing alone. "I-I knew what I was doing! I'm not a ba-OW!" The cry was from the redhead standing up and grabbing the boy's ear firmly. "S-Shanks! Let go!"

"Let go? Fine." The captain sat down and pulled the boy swiftly over his lap without a single pause. "I swear Monkey D. Luffy you are going to be the death of me! You're lucky we found you alive in that barrel, not decaying at the bottom of the freaking ocean!" He pulled down his shorts then boxers, not wanting to waste any time. This was a lesson that the young lad needed to learn now before he got himself killed, and there was going to be no warm up. "Now, I'm going to give you the spanking of your life. It's gonna hurt a lot and I'll be using something else to drive the lesson home, but I expect full cooperation. Understand me young man?"

When the boy stayed silent, he landed his hand hard on the bare skin. "I asked a question." He hated having to be so stern and strict, but this was the only way the message would get through. Shanks had tried time outs and groundings, spankings were the only way to get the brat to truly listen. Maybe if his father had stayed around then they wouldn't be in this situation in the first place, but he did what he had to.

Luffy yelped, jumping a bit when feeling the light smack. Why did he have to open his loud mouth? "Y-yes sir!" he squeaked out, squirming a bit, "P-please, I didn't think-OW!" He was cut off by a quick bombardment of sharp slaps on his backside, a small sensation of the tingling of pain and heat growing.

"Yeah, you didn't think at all. That's part of the reason you're over my knee in the first place!" He continued to pepper his backside, keeping a rhythm as he trailed from the top of his now pink bottom down to the tops of his thighs. "I was absolutely terrified when the mayor told me you were missing!"

He paused, and with hesitation slid open a drawer of his desk. "You know I love you like a son Luffy, but this time you went way too far. If I can't trust you to obey, then how will I know that when I leave you'll be safe? Do you realize just how worried I was, not to mention the rest of the village."

The boy felt something hard tap on his bottom, and he whipped his head around. "S-Shanks! Don't use that!" he shrieked, thrashing around desperately. Sure the captain had threatened to use the hairbrush a few times, but he always thought it was just a bluff to scare him! The thing wasn't huge, but the wood felt heavy as if someone was laying a book on him. His butt hurt enough from the first smacks, he didn't want to know what pain the brush would do. "I-I'll stay in the bottom of the b-boat for the rest of the trip! I'll w-wash all the dishes!"

Shaking his head, the redhead brought the brush's flat side down hard. He wasn't going to bruise the child of course, but this had to be done. Shanks felt like it was his responsibility, his duty as Luffy's role model to step up and teach him some discipline before it was too late. "You'll be down there with a sore bottom, I'll tell you that much. You know what pirates normally do with stowaways? Kill them for fun. You're lucky you were even in the right barrel. What if you ended up on a different ship and they skewered you before throwing you to the sharks?!" It was hard to keep his voice down, but he was just so furious.

The small boy shrieked, bucking and twisting his body in an attempt to avoid the blows. "S-sh-OW! Shaaaaanks!" he whined, drumming his feet against the side of the chair, "I'm sorreeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"I'm glad." WHAP! Shanks had to grip the child's hip to keep him from falling off his lap and finally tucked his flailing legs underneath one of his own. "But you and I both know that you deserve this." SMACK! "I hope this time you'll learn your lesson and won't be so reckless next time." SLAP! God, he was sounding like his father. He wasn't so sure if that was a good or bad thing. "If something happened to you, I'm not sure if I could show my face ever again. You're a special kid, and I know that someday you'll be able to do great things. But right now you're too young and that's okay. Just wait and enjoy being little for now, it's just fine to be a child. I was one, Makino, even the mayor was your age at one time." He bit his lip as he lifted the boy's bottom up higher, aiming for his sit spots. "This hurts me too, and I hate having to do it... But just remember that I do it because I care."

Luffy was practically wailing now, the hairbrush hurt like nothing he had ever felt before! The wood seemed to bite into his bare butt, burning it horribly. No longer did he care about being quiet so the others wouldn't hear him or seeing the ocean. He would be okay with never stepping foot on the Red Force for the rest of his life if it meant the spanking would stop. "WAAH! PLEASE CAP'N! I'm really sorry!" Finally, he just went limp, giving up on trying to get away. He was ashamed that he disappointed the captain. "P-please don't hate me!"

Shanks froze, the brush in midair. Hate? Before the kid knew what was happening, he found his face pressed into the redhead's shoulder. "...S-Shanks...?" he whimpered, gripping onto his sleeve as he tried to control his sobs. And that's when he realized something that shocked him.

The fearsome pirate of the seas, Red-Haired Shanks, was crying.

It wasn't horribly obvious, but there were indeed tears sliding down his cheeks. "Luffy..." he whispered, squeezing him a bit tighter, "You're more than a friend to me, and that means something. I might have to be the bad guy sometimes when you do wrong, but I could never and would never hate you even if you were trying to kill me." He pulled away, searching the boy's eyes for some understanding. "We all make mistakes, my crewmates do it all the time. But they're still here and I call them my friends." He paused, wiping a tear off of his own face. "Do you get it?"

Lowering his gaze to the ground, Luffy sniffled and rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry Shanks... I-I just wanted to show t-that I was ready to be a p-pirate..." The redhead smiled a bit and ruffled the child's hair.

"I know Anchor. I did the same thing as a kid except worse. But promise you won't do anything as stupid as this ever again, okay? Then I won't have to worry about the Mayor getting a heart attack." The kid giggled, starting to perk up again. "So, you're going to be staying in here until we get back to Foosha Village, got it?"

Immediately, Luffy started to whine. "What?! B-but I wanna go see the ocean!" His lips drew into a pout as he crossed his arms. "This is my first time on a pirate ship for real!" It wasn't fair! He went through all the trouble of packing, sneaking onto the ship, and ended up getting spanked for it. Now he wasn't even going to enjoy the ride back. His hard work was wasted and the thought made him flare in anger. "That's not even fair!"

Shanks gave him a stern look, quieting the boy. "You got on the boat because you sneaked on. Letting you out on the top deck would just be a reward, so you're going to stay in here and write an apology to the village." Luffy groaned, letting his body slump forward so his forehead rested on the captain's shoulder.

"I hate writing..." he grumbled, hoping his pity party would convince the redhead to let him go and have some fun. No kid wanted to sit in a room for hours writing stupid letters! This kind of torture had to be illegal. The captain rolled his eyes, trying not to smile.

"Yeah, but they're a lot worse things I could have you do. And I remember you saying something about washing all of the dishes..." He stroked his chin, looking off into the distance as he pretended to think. "Maybe other things... I could ask my mates what they could have you do. How about giving Lucky Roo a foot massage?"

Luffy immediately panicked, waving his hands wildly as his eyes almost popped out of his head. "N-no! I'll write a letter to everyone! Promise!" He had smelled and seen what happened when Roo took off his shoes, it almost poisoned the entire crew for a week. Not to mention there was still a mystery of what feet were hidden underneath his socks.

Laughing, the redhead ruffled his hair. "I'm just messing with ya Anchor. Don't freak out." He had a big smile back on his face, and the kid knew he was truly forgiven. "We'll be back home in no time, make sure to give Makino the biggest hug you've ever tried."

The boy giggled, nuzzling into Shanks' hand for once. Maybe being a kid wasn't so bad, he could be a pirate later. For now, he would be content with dreaming of the day he became the pirate king and stood proudly with the One Piece.

But that didn't mean he couldn't try in a few months, right?

The End


End file.
